Christine M. Sullivan

Sunday

Oct 28, 2012 at 6:00 AMOct 28, 2012 at 7:46 AM

Ms. Sullivan founded Innovative Management Solutions five years ago after spending more than 28 years in the insurance industry. The company's only employee, she has worked as an agency manager, a marketing and operations manager, personal and commercial lines manager/account manager and a producer/account sales executive. In January, she plans to hire her son Brendyn, a Sacred Heart University graduate, as the company's agency account/operations coordinator.

What does Innovative Management Solutions do?

“We provide insurance agencies with a specialized, hands-on approach to mentoring their teams through operational restructures, structured internal management and account manager training, and development programs that focus on the individual agency's mission, vision and long-term goals.”

What are some challenges facing the insurance agencies today?

“Some of the challenges that I see insurance agencies facing are the increased workflow and time involved in quoting and writing insurance as a result of the adoption of managed competition in Massachusetts. Another is that more and more agencies are acquiring multiple locations in a short period of time, which can be tough on the overall operations of the agency, initially. As a result, it can be challenging to expect that all locations and team members can easily adapt to new cultures and workflows and create the synergy necessary for a successful transition.”

Give an example of a problem that an insurance agency faced and what you did to solve that problem.

“One major challenge that all agencies face is that the account managers are so busy because of increased workflows, reduction of staffing and poor time management and prioritization skills that they have a really hard time managing the expectations of the clients, management teams and/or their own teams. It is really tough for them to fit one more single task into their workday and/or week, let alone have the time to help other team members in their absence. As a result of these challenges, I developed a standardized workstation setup and time-management training program, where I introduce the concept of a standard workstation setup for every person in the agency. This enables everyone in the agency to have the same organizational system that promotes compartmentalization and efficiency with workflows and also enables any team member to jump in and help out without the awkwardness of digging through someone else's desk. Finally, I developed a due-date system in which work assignments are placed in bins (whether electronic or paper) in priority order. The idea is to always remain one to two days ahead in your work and to place only the items that need immediate attention into the red priority folder. The system allows you to stay ahead of the work and buy yourself more time when you need it, while never losing sight of the client expectations and service standards.”

How has the insurance industry changed since you began 28 years ago, and why is there a need for the type of service that you provide?

“The industry has changed quite a bit. Managed competition is finally happening in Massachusetts. Conventional insurance has changed several times from a hard to soft market and back again. Agencies are going paperless. The IT platform is more effective. I help people in the agency understand why they need to change.”

What have you found to be most challenging in your efforts to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the companies with whom you work?

“The challenge I initially find is that the agency tends to expect that I will come in and tell them everything they're doing wrong and make changes. My goal in every agency is to use leadership skills and my hands-on approach through the years of experience to help their teams adapt from a reactive, process-based approach to a proactive, behavioral-based approach. I am involved with them every step of the way, guiding them through the potential roadblocks, while creating 'wow factor awareness.' I don't tell them what to do, but provide them with choices. I suggest changes and make them part of the decision-making process.”

What plans do you have for expanding your business in the future?

“My business has grown 250 percent in five years. My goal for 2013 is to triple programs and double revenue. As of January 2013, my son Brendyn will use our concepts to develop and reinforce systems and test them within the agencies. We are already beginning to roll out new programs that the two of us will begin instructing in 2013.”